FISH and HUNT NOW!!!By Montana Grant

Posted: September 9, 2018

The summer is winding down and the kids are headed back to school. Tourists are headed home and the Honey Do lists are near complete. That means it is time for all sportsmen to fish, hunt, and head afield. If you don’t, then you are wasting the best time of the year.

Last week, I fished a couple of popular places and was nearly alone. We have plenty of water, the fish were biting, and the crowds were thin, finally! One stream I fished did not have a single fresh footprint.

Now I know that I have an unfair advantage. Being retired is a wonderful thing and well earned.40 years in education and other jobs has allowed me to celebrate outdoors during the week. My only problem is finding others to keep me company.

Fall means hunting. Elk, deer, and antelope are in season and ready to fill your freezers. More hunters mean less fishermen. You can only do so much at a time and keep a job, and stay married, and… but, hunting and fishing time recharges us. We work harder and better after we fish and hunt.

Traditionally, the end of summer translates to the end of outdoor fun. The next big season, for most, is ski season. As crazy as it sounds, not everyone hunts and fishes. I don’t understand it, but it is true. You may also need an instigator or motivator to head afield. It is easy to stay home and sleep in, but every sunrise missed is lost forever. Once up and afield, every hunter is happy to be there.

Simply put, this adds up to less crowds, traffic, and more outdoor fun for those of us that live in Big Sky Country.